Ask any one of the 20 drivers in the ABB FIA Formula E Championship and they'll tell you it no easy task. Most started out in karts, working their way up the ranks by winning races and championships. Lots and lots of races.
Established with the aim of helping talent get to the top of the all-electric racing category is Venturi's Next Gen programme. Launched today in Monaco, the programme features young driver such as 2018 French Formula 4 driver Arthur Leclerc, GP3 race winner Dorian Boccolacci (pictured below) as well as French F4 driver Pierre-Louis Chovet, karters Louis Iglesias and Benjamin Cartery, and eSports champions Maxime Pain, Kevin Leaune and Gaetan Goarant.
“We want to help those with talent but who haven’t always had the means to get started," said Gildo Pastor, President of Venturi. "We have often given youth a chance in the past. For example, the Venturi Formula E team development driver, Michael Benyahia, is just 17. For me, it was the logical next step to continue betting on youth by creating Venturi Next Gen.”
Based in Monaco, the programme will see the drivers splitting their time between the Venturi Formula E team simulator and a physical and mental training camp near the Principality. On top of all that, the students learn about the technical elements of Formula E and electric vehicles before moving onto practical exercises, including the opportunity to drive a Formula E car.
With Maro Engel and rookie driver Edoardo Mortara making up the current Venturi Formula E line up, the budding talents will be observing them at Formula E races as well as learning from them off the track.